The cVIGIL app of the Election Commission of India has become an effective tool in the hands of people to flag election code violations. Since the announcement of General Elections 2024, over 79,000 complaints have been received as of today. Over 99% of complaints have been resolved, and close to 89% of these complaints have been resolved within 100 minutes. Speed and transparency are the cornerstones of the cVIGIL app.
More than 58,500 complaints (73% of the total) received are against illegal hoarding and banners. More than 1400 complaints were received pertaining to money, gifts, and liquor distribution. Close to 3% of the complaints (2454) pertain to defacement of property. Out of the 535 complaints received for the display of firearms and intimidation, 529 have already been resolved. 1000 complaints reported were for campaigning beyond the prohibited period, including the use of speakers beyond the permitted time.
The cVIGIL app marks a significant leap forward in electoral oversight and reducing campaign clutter. It may be recalled that in the press conference for the announcement of the General Elections 2024, Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar urged citizens to be vigilant and use the app to report model code of conduct violations and the distribution of any kind of inducement to voters.
cVigil is a user-friendly and easy-to-operate application that connects vigilant citizens with the District Control Room, Returning Officer, and Flying Squad Teams. By using this app, citizens can immediately report incidents of political misconduct within minutes without having to rush to the office of the returning officer. As soon as the complaint is sent on the cVigil app, the complainant will receive a unique ID, through which they will be able to track the complaint on their mobile device.
A trinity of factors working simultaneously makes cVIGIL a success. Users capture audio, photos, or videos in real-time, and a “100-minute” countdown for a time-bound response to complaints is ensured. The app automatically enables a geo-tagging feature as soon as the user switches on their camera in cVIGIL to report a violation. This means that flying squads could know the precise location of a reported violation, and the image captured by citizens could be used as evidence in a court of law. Citizens can also report complaints anonymously.
The app is one of the armies of apps built by the Commission to leverage technology and facilitate voting and political parties.